


Existential Crisis

by Lokislittlearmy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Season/Series 06, Shiro (Voltron) Has a Clone, i just wanted lance to find out and not keith okay, its an ampersand not a slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 00:23:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14944124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokislittlearmy/pseuds/Lokislittlearmy
Summary: It clicks into place, then, all the pieces Lance had no idea even existed. Shiro reaching out to him on the astral plane. Later, Shiro asking what happened. Saying he didn't feel like himself lately.Lance has his bayard out and pointed at Shiro before he can even think.[Fix-it fic of sorts where Lance finds out that Shiro's a clone before anybody else]





	Existential Crisis

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't even rewatch the episode or anything so this is definitely not canon-compliant. But it probably takes place right after Monsters and Mana.

"You guys okay?" Pidge's voice crackles in their headsets. "You're about to lose connection. Last chance to turn back." Her voice sounds almost teasing.

Lance rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I think we'll be fine." He looks over his shoulder. "Right, Shiro?"

Shiro nods. "Right. We'll be back before you know it." 

At that, Lance pushes forward to increase the Red Lion's speed. He guides her through the wormhole. The sight waiting for them is about what they expected. An abandoned Galra ship, though not destroyed. They land and leave the lion, watching around each corner.

They're just here to find that energy reading Pidge picked up on, and leave. That's all. She said it seemed strangely similar to Shiro's arm, and that's why they were here.

"I can't pick up on anything," Lance says with his eyes on his scanner. "No living creatures at all." He looks around. "Maybe it's just traces from before this place was abandoned?"

"It's likely." Shiro lowers his bayard, but he doesn't fully put it away. "We should still find the source, just in case." He looks over Lance's shoulder at the scanner. "It looks like it's coming from that direction." He points slightly off from straight ahead.

They walk mostly in silence until they reach it. The source of the energy is a long row of pods on either side, lining the edges of the ship. Shiro forges ahead. The air feels heavy, and there's a consistent thrumming in his skull. Less like pounding, more like pressing. It's uncomfortable, but not like what happened when he was helping Pidge with the shield. "What is this place?" he wonders aloud.

"No idea," Lance responds. He walks to the first pod he sees and tries to scan it. When it fails, he tries rubbing away the dust on the glass.

Shiro notices that one pod, dead center at the opposite end of the row, is open. It's glowing. Still on.

The pod at Lance's fingertips glows to life, and he recoils. It's Shiro in there. All black hair, no missing arm, but still him. 

And then other pods start lighting up all around them, one by one, until every single one is lit up. 

A row of Shiro's clones, unconscious and lying in wait.

It clicks into place, then, all the pieces Lance had no idea even existed. Shiro reaching out to him on the astral plane. Later, Shiro asking what happened. Saying he didn't feel like himself lately.

Lance has his bayard out and pointed at Shiro before he can even think. It powers up with an audible hum. "Who are you, really?"

Shiro whirls around. "Lance? What are you doing?"

"I should have known." Lance tightens his grip on the blaster. "What did you do with the real Shiro?"

"Lance, I am the real Shiro. I'm just as confused by this as you are." Shiro puts his hands up and starts backing away. "You have to believe me."

"How can I believe you?" Lance follows his movements. "One of those pods is open. So either you have a clone out and about, or you are the clone." He blinks tears away. "No wonder you don't feel like yourself. Because you're not."

Shiro stares at Lance. He's struggling for the words to prove who he is. "I-" He cuts off and pauses for a few seconds. He drops his hands. "I don't know. Maybe I am a clone. But I honestly don't know. And if you can think of a way for me to prove that, then I'll do it. But I'm the real Shiro." He looks back towards the open pod. "As far as I know."

Lance hesitates. He lowers his blaster and lets it turn back. "Okay. I believe you." He takes a breath. "We need to figure out what to do. If you're the real Shiro, there's a clone of you running around." He's definitely not the real Shiro, but Lance isn't going to just _say_ that. "If not, we need to figure out if you're lying about what you know and if you pose a threat."

"Should we go back to the Castle?" Shiro asks. "Or at least come close enough to contact them. I understand if I can't board right now."

Lance nods. "I have to keep a close eye on you, I guess." He gestures for Shiro to walk in front of him. Shiro hands Lance his bayard as he passes.

The walk back to the Lion is dead silent. Lance is running through everything in his mind. The Black Lion didn't even accept Shiro when he first came back. She definitely knew. But she eventually let him fly again, so maybe this clone of Shiro is telling the truth. He had no idea. Lance looks over at him.

Shiro's lips are pursed. He stares at the ground in front of him as he walks. This whole thing must give him a whole new meaning to identity crisis. 

Lance wants to comfort him in some way. He doesn't. He watches Shiro sit beside the pilot's chair, and he takes off.

Pidge doesn't give him a chance to breathe once they're through the wormhole. "Did you guys find the energy reading?"

"Yeah," Lance says. "And we have a bigger problem."

"Come back to the Castle and we'll talk about it."

Lance cringes a little bit. "As much as I would love to, I think we should play this safe." He explains what they found. "I have Shiro. Or at least whoever we've been with for the past few months. He says he's sure he's the real Shiro."

Pidge's line is silent for a little while. "Everything makes so much more sense now. The Lion rearrangement sticking, the astral plane stuff..." She trails off. "Is he there?"

"Yeah." Lance looks down at him. "Probably in the middle of an existential crisis, but he's right next to me."

"Okay. Bring him back. I want to run diagnostics and see if there are any indicators that he's a clone, and what threat he poses if he is." She pauses. The finding the real Shiro part goes unsaid.

"Alright." Lance pulls into the Red Lion's hangar and lands. Pidge is waiting when the two of them leave the ship. He gives her Shiro's bayard as well, and watches them walk away.

Part of him wants to follow. He wants to know whether Shiro is himself, if he knows, how much he knows. He'll take any distraction at this point. He wants to know, because the thought that it wasn't Shiro that yelled at him is both painful and comforting.

Instead, he slumps against the Red Lion's paw and resists the urge to start crying.

**Author's Note:**

> My hobbies include rubbing my disgusting inaccurate hands all over canon before tossing it completely.
> 
> I could continue this if people want to see more, but updates would be pretty slow. I have two projects right now, I just really wanted this.
> 
> Comments/Questions/Requests? Yell to me on tumblr: littlelionkai


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